Chapter 657: I Saw Their Sincerity
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 657: I Saw Their Sincerity
While Encrid focused on honing his senses, Krais set out to fulfill the promise his captain had made.
He had scouted a location for the elven city. It lay to the south of the Border Guard, slightly further south of the lands bordering the wasteland, where a stream branching off from the river reached. The final destination was a spot nestled against a small mountain range—an ideal place for a forest to take root.
In truth, it was also a location where securing "safety" via the Safe Road was difficult.
Nearby stood a rocky mountain resembling a tower that harpies used as a nest, and below the mountain range lay a small forest where monsters and demonic beasts frequently lurked.
A barrier to block the monsters and demonic beasts surging from the south.
In that regard, the location was perfect. If the elves had the ability to exterminate monsters on their own, it wouldn't be a bad deal for them either.
With those thoughts in mind, Krais headed directly to the southern outpost.
The elf named Zero accompanied him as a guide, while Krais's lover, Nurat, came along as an escort.
The sword-bearing Nurat walked right beside Krais, her forearms visibly thicker than before. She, too, had long since adopted the Audin-style Physical Training Method.
"Trees are walking here?" Nurat asked.
"To be precise, it is a traditional spell of the Woodgard clan called Migration."
The answer came from Zero, who stood on the opposite side of Krais. Usually, elves gave off a cold, chilly impression, but Zero was different. He was quite active in expressing his emotions.
Were all elves the same? Surely not. While individual differences certainly played a part, seeing Encrid beat Zero up to "get a feel for things" made the reason somewhat clear. This elf had learned to express his emotions through the sheer force of others.
Encrid hadn't just used his sword when beating him. He had constantly ripped, stabbed, and slashed with his words as well.
"Is this your best? Is this your utmost? Well, it was slightly more threatening than a dragonfly. It was a great slash for killing mosquitoes."
Having heard his inner thoughts scraped raw by such remarks, no matter how patient an elf might be, he would have at least learned how to express anger.
And after anger, learning to express other emotions followed naturally.
In any case, when the three of them arrived at the outpost on the Safe Road, the soldier in charge approached and saluted.
At first, a few people had looked down on Krais for joining the Mad Knights despite not knowing how to fight, but now, such people were hard to find.
One reason was that the soldiers now knew that getting caught doing so wouldn't end with just a few punches. Another was that Krais himself frequently admitted he had no talent for fighting.
If the man himself admitted it, who was anyone else to say otherwise?
Of course, that didn't mean there weren't idiots who still acted out, but Krais was clever.
Once Rem's Assault Squad took charge of his escort for a few weeks, all the idle gossip vanished.
When a madman who would draw his axe at the mere sound of someone insulting Krais from afar was acting as his guard, who would dare open their mouth?
"What? You want to join our squad and 'go missing'?"
Rumors sometimes circulated that some soldiers who joined Rem's Assault Squad went missing.
Though they were called rumors, dying during training was hardly rare. It was only natural that the higher the training intensity, the greater the risk of injury or death.
Of course, Rem had never actually let any of his squad members die.
From then on, no one insulted Krais openly. As for what they thought internally or whispered out of earshot, Krais didn't care in the slightest.
With his head already bursting from worrying about the Demon Realm, monsters, and war, what did a little backbiting matter?
Besides, Krais was far too busy dealing with the immediate tasks at hand.
Right now, it was time to learn about elven society.
Throughout their walk, Zero had been telling him about elven society, adding that his personal goal was to kill every single demon on the continent.
He was an elf who spoke quite freely about himself. While chatting about various things with Nurat and listening to updates on the escort unit and Encrid's personal guard's recent training, Krais saw it.
Thud.
"...It's a monster," the outpost soldier who had tagged along as an escort muttered.
Even though they had been warned multiple times that a giant tree would be walking over, it was hard not to be shocked upon actually seeing it.
The soldier guarding the outpost gripped his bow. The soldier next to him went so far as to nock an arrow to his string.
But would shooting it even make that thing flinch?
Both of their eyes held that very question.
Thump—
Feet made of roots stomped against the ground as it approached. In everyone's sight, a massive tree loomed in the distance, silhouetted against the sunlight.
Something round was floating above the branches, and looking closer, elves were standing on the boughs, watching them. Zero raised an open palm. It was a greeting.
Krais exercised self-control and spoke.
"Do not shoot."
Since he hadn't been surprised when he first heard about it from Encrid, it was now his turn to be thoroughly amazed.
"It's a real tree. A tree is walking. A tree is actually walking."
Krais said again.
"Yeah. Even though I heard about it, it's still astonishing," Nurat agreed beside him.
It was a relief they had come during the day; had it been evening, it truly would have looked like an attack by a giant monster.
As the colossal tree marched forward with heavy thuds, their sense of perspective warped. It was slow, yet fast. It approached while shattering their very concept of scale.
After all, none of them had ever seen anything like this before.
A tree far larger than even a giant—one they literally had to crane their necks back to look at—was walking toward them.
"They are guests. Not monsters," Krais repeated, but a soldier muttered from behind.
"I need to piss."
"You too? Me too."
"If we get crushed under those feet, we'll turn into tomato paste."
"Ugh. I just pictured it, you bastard. Now I feel sick."
The three soldiers whispered among themselves. Though they spoke their minds quite plainly, it wasn't because they were truly paralyzed with fear.
If they had been genuinely terrified, they wouldn't have been able to say a word.
Since they were told these were guests and not enemies, it was just banter to relieve the tension. Though that didn't mean they weren't scared at all.
Kaaak, kaaak!
Suddenly, several human-faced dogs leaped out from the brush. This was indeed an area where monsters occasionally appeared.
Of all the territories of the Mad Knights, the south was where monsters emerged most frequently.
Excluding the Pen-Hanil Mountains, it was the harshest of all the outpost duty stations.
The monsters recklessly dashed beneath the tree. Being quadrupeds, they couldn't raise their heads properly, so they likely hadn't even grasped the tree's true size.
Eleven human-faced dogs shrieked as they sprinted, only to suddenly tumble across the ground all at once.
Long wooden stakes rained down, impaling their bodies.
If the first specialty of a human-faced dog was biting people, their second was running well.
How could such creatures lose their footing and trip? And all at the exact same moment? It was, of course, the work of the elves.
A group of elves atop the tree had fired arrows with perfect discipline.
They exchanged hand signals and swapped positions.
The dead carcasses of the human-faced dogs were crushed under the tree. Thud.
Only sticky black stains remained where its feet had passed.
As the tree giants drew closer, some of them seemed even taller than the outpost itself.
Having finished being thoroughly amazed, Krais spoke what needed to be said.
"Welcome to the Border Guard."
"Thank you for the welcome. However, the air here isn't particularly good. We elves are not entirely ignorant of the world. I once worked as a mercenary through the information guild, and the city where I first started that work can be reached by heading straight southeast from here along the waterway..."
The elf who stepped forward babbled incessantly, but Krais understood him perfectly without any discomfort. He listened to it all, then found a gap to counter.
While tree giants were unfamiliar, this kind of conversation was beyond familiar—he was highly skilled at it.
"Are you telling me not to try and swindle you? There is no need to worry about that. Yes, monsters frequently appear here. To the south, armed bandits also show up occasionally. But I assume that won't be an issue for you, correct? If you settle down here, our captain will be grateful. Even if he doesn't show it, it is obvious you will be of help. If necessary, we will dispatch troops to assist you. So, it would be best if you clear this area and settle in. To be precise, I believe the foot of the mountain range a short distance to the west of here is the best place for you to stay."
Elves were incapable of lying, but they were masters of distorting the truth.
But since they revere the captain as an idol, they will not distort it.
Still, out of caution, the first one to step forward would surely be an elf familiar with continental culture.
It was a preventative measure, lest the humans try to rip them off. Just like any first meeting between two groups where trust had not yet been established, this was no different.
However, Krais had no intention of deceiving them from the start.
To a swindler, one must speak the language of lies; but to those who wielded truth as a weapon, one only needed to approach with equal sincerity.
Krais had no intention of allowing any noise in this "deal" from the very beginning.
He simply treated everything with absolute sincerity.
And that was enough.
The elf who had stepped forward smiled in satisfaction. Of course, to Krais, it was merely a faint emotional shift that he could barely perceive.
"Those are pleasant words to hear, but as Emily taught me, I believe it is necessary to verify them. Emily was my first lover, a woman who worked at the reception desk of the information guild."
Krais smoothly brushed off the useless chatter and welcomed the elf, guiding them forward.
There would be plenty of administrative work and other necessary tasks afterward, but nothing that would pose much of a hindrance.
Following that, the tree giants migrated in a line. Though everyone was startled by the movement of what looked like massive boulders, no soldier dared to attack them.
A few southern nobles had requested military support several times, claiming giant monsters were attacking them, so Krais had merely rotated the troops outside a few times as a casual outing.
Naturally, there were no battles.
* * *
"One more time."
It was Rem who stepped forward and spoke, not Encrid. In a way, the situation had changed slightly.
Rem requested a spar once every day or two.
Encrid didn't bother refusing. However, he didn't just meekly nod his head either.
"Hmm. Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"What do you mean, alright?"
"I'm not in the habit of bullying the weak."
"Ha! Who's weak, you lunatic?"
Rem pretended to fall for the provocation while fighting with cool-headed composure. He showed intense passion and unleashed fiery attacks, but there was never a sloppy axe swing. That was the genius of Rem.
After adjusting his senses several times, Encrid truly realized his own standing.
In terms of the system he had established, they had reached the level of senior knights, while he himself was intermediate.
However, the system he established was closer to a method of training, not a standard for evaluating combat power.
Uske.
His unyielding Will showed overwhelming efficiency in single combat. Thanks to that, he could hold his own against those who had entered the realm of the senior level.
It was also thanks to the wave-blocking sword swung with full force.
On top of that, dividing his thoughts allowed him to balance power and endurance, enabling prolonged, high-speed combat. This was Encrid's specialty now.
He could fight for extended periods, and the time within those battles was incredibly dense. Every single sword strike carried a murderous momentum. While Liebart or Jamal chose to buy time, what Encrid used was different.
On the surface, Encrid wasn't just buying time; he was often pushing forward. Naturally, Rem wasn't the only one who challenged him.
"Come out, crazy knight commander. Let me fix that head of yours."
Ragna also challenged him with provocations. Encrid accepted him as well.
"Indeed. If you lack talent, you should at least put in the effort."
Encrid thoroughly enjoyed the present. Yet, he could feel the time he had to enjoy it dwindling and disappearing.
The ordinary soldiers and all combat-ready personnel burned with enthusiasm upon seeing Encrid and the Mad Knights.
And in turn, Rem and the others also showed enthusiasm upon seeing Encrid, but the truth was, they had never been caught up to before.
Yet now, they had been caught. They were truly lagging behind Encrid.
If he didn't enjoy this moment, he wouldn't be human.
"I will definitely win!"
"Lord!"
"I'll slash you all to death."
This was why Rem, Audin, Ragna, and Sachsen all suddenly threw themselves into training like madmen.
"What, are you planning to kill every knight in the world now?"
Sachsen even heard such words from his lover.
"There's someone I absolutely must catch up to."
"Absolutely?"
His lover knew Sachsen. He was not a man to throw around words like "definitely" or "absolutely."
"Why do you have to?"
So she asked further.
Sachsen hadn't really thought about the reason, but thinking about it now, there was a clear answer.
"It's unsightly."
"Huh?"
"Seeing him put on airs is just unsightly."
He said this outwardly, but his inner thoughts were slightly different.
I stayed behind to be of help, so I can't afford to be a burden.
Thus, they trained. The results of that training bore fruit before long.
It was fourteen days after Encrid had returned to the Border Guard.
While Audin, who was supposed to meet someone, was waiting because that person had briefly stepped away, Encrid was simply training as usual.
He had no occasion to meet Eitri or speak separately with Esther.
Encrid had intended to meet Eitri after checking his own condition, but when he handed over the weapons and items he had gathered and acquired so far, Eitri had instead suggested they meet a bit later. As for Esther, she had said she would live as a panther for the time being.
Sinar hadn't arrived either, so after a single meeting with Castellan Graham, there was really nothing else to do but train.
To be honest, gloating after defeating his squad members was incredibly fun.
"It's not enough. There's not enough stimulation. The likes of you can't stimulate me."
Encrid would practically mutter such things aloud.
And there was no one who didn't react to those words.
"I heard you met cultists along the way. Did you sell your soul to the Demon God or something?"
Rem said, brushing a leaf off his head.
It was a day with a warm breeze. Winter was almost entirely gone, and the goddess named Spring was approaching. It was also around the time when Sinar, who used to talk about the spring breeze, came to mind.
"All I hear is the whining of the weak."
Over this time, Encrid's skill in mocking them had also improved significantly. When he lowered his sword and spoke as if reciting poetry, Rem's complexion changed. It was a sight seen frequently over the past few days.
"You're dead meat today. Ptu."
Rem spat on his hands and the ground, then adjusted his grip on his axe.
An atmosphere where they might fight with half their lives on the line was instantly created.
Rem bent his knees halfway and lowered his stance. He looked ready to charge at any second.
Since Encrid could see Rem's impending charge with his Insight, he raised Penna, fully prepared to slash diagonally.
He expected today wouldn't be much different from before.
Unless Rem used his axe properly and unleashed every single bit of his sorcery, the outcome would not change.
At that moment, Rem's body shrank. He hadn't actually shrunk; it only appeared that way because he had instantly widened the distance.
He's retreating?
Rem leaped backward, and his speed was extraordinary. Moving diagonally and backward while keeping his eyes on Encrid, he was just as fast as if he were sprinting forward. His feet stomped, stepped, and kicked the ground without hesitation, leaving afterimages behind. At the same time:
Whoosh, whoosh, whirrrrrrrrr!
Rem spun a disc above his head. The projectile, which had been spinning moderately, began to rotate at high speed within its leather pouch. It was a sling.
"I'm not joking."
Whirrrr!
Amidst the roaring sound of the spinning sling, Rem spoke, pouring his Will into his words.
"If you can't block this, you're a dead man."
Whoosh.
The sling spat out the projectile. Bang! The sound of tearing air erupted.
Between the sounds, Encrid's Insight caught sight of a violent dot that seemed poised to blow his head off.
Even though he had stretched time with his high-speed thoughts, it still appeared as a mere dot—a dot that boasted a superior speed of its own even within that dilated time.
It was a moment he felt was several times more dangerous than when he had snatched a flying dagger out of the air in the distant past.
Encrid leaned his upper body backward. The flying projectile grazed Encrid's forehead. A few strands of his hair were severed, sucked into the air pocket created by the projectile, and swept away. Immediately after, he had to roll to the side.
Thud!
A fountain of dirt erupted from where he had just been standing. It was the next projectile fired by Rem, slamming into the ground.
And he wasn't stopping at just one shot.
Whirrrrrrr!
Before he knew it, Rem was spinning two discs diagonally.
The left disc was nearly perpendicular to the ground, while the right disc was nearly parallel to it.
The two circles boasted their respective grandeur, separated by a mere span of two fingers.
"Die, you lunatic!"
Rem shouted with joy. Encrid saw his sincerity in those words.